


hot for teacher

by drywitticisms



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV), Lovecraft Country - Matt Ruff
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Canon Queer Character, Canon Queer Character of Color, Canon Queer Relationship, Dirty Talk, F/F, Femslash, Fingerfucking, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Canon Compliant, Professor Ruby Baptiste, Professor-Student Relationship, Student Christina Braithwhite, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drywitticisms/pseuds/drywitticisms
Summary: Dr. Ruby Baptiste is an assistant professor at University of Illinois at Chicago teachingIntroduction to Rock and Rollfor the spring semester and her life is otherwise good, almosttoogood. Things are running smoothly until she suddenly crosses paths with a mysterious yet wealthy student with bright, intense eyes.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 44
Kudos: 176





	1. what do you think the teacher's gonna look like this year?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm back.
> 
> **Some things to Know about This Story:**
> 
> 1\. This story is going to be a weird combination of both the book and the show, hence why I tagged both fandoms. What this means is that Show!Ruby will exist in this story and so will Show!Christina. In the book, Christina doesn't exist. However, her male counterpart, Caleb, does. Caleb will exist in this story alongside Christina. I will give the show credit for the creation of Christina and the added development to Ruby's characterization, so I will keep those things as a part of this story. However, the show versions of the other characters DO NOT apply to this story. I implore you to completely ignore the show versions of the rest of the cast, because I definitely ignored the show canon while writing this. They won't be featured as much in this story, so it won't matter anyway but it's just a heads up. 
> 
> 2\. Leti has been recast as [Lovie Simone](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a1/3d/b2/a13db24bf983703c8537ca2f6935b8fb.jpg). I don't mind Jurnee, but there was NO reason or need for Leti to be biracial or to even have a white father. Since the Powers That Be refused to acknowledge the colorism in their own casting choices and within the narrative, we're going to remove that asinine tidbit altogether. In the book, Leti, Ruby, and Marvin all have the same mother and father so I'm going with that information because it just makes more sense. Because of that, my Leti is going to be entirely different from her show self. Also, Ruby and Leti will go by the Baptiste name from the show; and yes, Leti will go by her surname in this story. Their family will be the only ones who will keep their show surname. Everyone else will be using their book surnames. 
> 
> 3\. Christina is 26 and Ruby is 31. There's not much of an age difference but it's there, so I tagged it as such.

**January 2020**

"Welcome to _Introduction to Rock and Roll_. I am the professor for this course, Dr. Ruby Baptiste. You may refer to me as Dr. Baptiste. I'm very well aware that most of you are here because you need the elective to fulfill certain graduation requirements but I will not cut you any slack because of that. I expect you to put an effort into this class whether you want to be here or not. This will **not** be an easy course. Any questions?" Dr. Ruby Baptiste explained before turning towards the full classroom. 

Some of her students looked scared, some of them looked excited, and some of them looked downright turned on. 

As a professor, she had seen all of those reactions before but she never allowed it to affect how she worked. She had a duty to her students, and that was to educate them to the best of her training and knowledge. 

She knew her style of teaching was an acquired taste, but most of her students succeeded anyway. She was very blunt in her lessons and she didn't mince words. She wasn't the type of professor to beat around the bush about musical history and the racism and misogyny that were very much apart of that history. There were a few students over the years that didn't succeed but that was mainly due to white privilege and their belief that their family connections mattered in her classroom.

She didn't care who their fathers were or how rich they were. If you did the work, then you got the A. If you didn't, then you wouldn't. 

She couldn't be paid off. 

Before she could start going over the syllabus, a meek, mild girl in the front row raised her hand shyly.

Ruby pointed to her wordlessly giving her permission to speak.

"Will there be any extra credit opportunities?"

"Those opportunities will be offered on a case by case basis. I know some people like the extra work, so I'll definitely offer it at my discretion. It will not be freely available as I don't want the option to be abused, but you will have the chance if I deem it necessary." She said with a smile.

She didn't want to run her students off, but she knew she needed to set the stage for how the rest of the semester would go. It was easier to relax things once they had proven themselves capable and willing than it was to make things strict after being lenient for so long. 

"Anything else?"

Another hand shot up, and this one belonged to a thin, blonde with striking, intense eyes and the cutest chin dimple, "What are your office hours?"

"I'm glad you asked. That is the perfect segue into the syllabus. If you guys would direct your attention to the syllabus in front of you, we can begin with my office hours before going over the course readings and assignments for the semester." Ruby said walking around her wooden desk to lean against it with her feet crossed at the ankles.

Pointing to the timid girl who asked the first question, Ruby said, "What's your name?"

"Amanda Mitchell."

"Miss Mitchell, would you start us off by reading the first section of our syllabus?"

She nodded eagerly and started reading aloud. 

Ruby tore her eyes away from Amanda before looking around the room at her students. There was just something refreshing about being back in front of a classroom full of excited students eager to learn.

While scanning the room, she was taken aback when she suddenly made direct eye contact with those same striking eyes from earlier.

Instead of following along with the rest of the class, the younger woman stared at Ruby openly and unnervingly. 

Ruby was stunned but she schooled her features as to not openly react to it. 

The younger woman seemed to be studying her for some reason. She wasn't shy about being caught staring as she didn't look away when Ruby looked back at her.

She appeared to be more interested in Ruby than in the syllabus.

Ruby thought nothing of it and followed along with her copy of the syllabus. After Amanda finished reading, she motioned towards a boy behind Amanda to signal for him to start reading the next section.

Ruby hadn't had a rambunctious and rowdy class before, and she hoped things would run just as smoothly this semester as it did the previous semester.

She couldn’t determine how this class would be as it was only the first meeting, but she had high hopes that things would be exciting for both her and the students. It could be exciting without getting too chaotic.

\--------------------------------------------

Ruby looked around her office and was pleased with her new layout. She moved her cherry wood desk so it would face the door instead of her bookcase. She thought it would aid in promoting a good feng shui. After making the move, she wasn’t sure why she didn’t think of it before. The room looked so much more open now, and she was given much more space to move around.

She nodded to herself pleased with her handiwork when then there was a knock on her half-open door.

Swiveling her head to greet her visitor, she almost lost her balance once she locked eyes with the calm eyes of the student who challenged her to a staring contest earlier.

“Dr. Baptiste?” The student asked expectantly.

“Yes, and you are -” Ruby trailed off awaiting her answer.

“Braithwhite. Christina Braithwhite.” 

“How can I help you, Miss Braithwhite?” Ruby questioned before grabbing a stack of hardcover books placed at the edge of her desk.

Ruby took this time to finish her tasks of putting the books back in their rightful place on her floor to ceiling bookcase as she waited for the woman to answer her question.

“I wanted to formally introduce myself.” She said as she walked further into Ruby’s office, “I’m such a huge fan of your work as B. Dandridge, and I **really** wanted to meet you.”

After placing the last book on the shelf, Ruby completely turned to face Christina listening to her words. She wasn’t expecting to hear that. That was a first - most of her students didn’t know about her past life as a musician.

“Is that right?”

“Yes. When you were auctioning off Bessie a few years ago for charity to raise money to keep the arts in the inner city public school system, I placed the winning bid.”

Ruby’s well manicured eyebrows rose towards her hairline at Christina’s words.

 _Bessie_ was Ruby’s first guitar. She had been through a lot with her, and she had the callouses to prove it. It was the guitar she bought to teach herself how to play. _Bessie_ was special to her. She didn’t want to part with her but it was for a good cause. Plus, Ruby had other guitars. 

_What was one less guitar?_

“Ah, so _you_ were the one that placed the biggest bid of the night?” Ruby asked impressed. She remembered how excited the superintendent was when he found out, but Ruby was far too stunned to share in that sentiment.

“Guilty as charged. It’s like I said - I’m a **huge** fan of yours.” Christina said with that same intense, spine-tingling stare.

If Ruby didn’t know any better, she would assume Christina was trying to tell her something with her eyes. There was something particularly unnerving and unsettling about the student, and Ruby couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Unfortunately, Ruby couldn’t decipher her stare and chose not to think about it more than she needed to. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't matter anyway.

But discussions of B. Dandridge were something Ruby didn’t think would ever come up again in her life, aside from conversations with her family. B. Dandridge was her stage name; B. was a play on her first name and Dandridge was an ode to her favorite person in history, Dorothy Dandridge. Ruby didn’t go by her real name during her time as a musician, but her face was attached to the name on all of her projects. So, it wasn’t that hard to put two and two together if someone really wanted to go digging.

“I appreciate it.” Ruby finally said with a flattered smile.

Christina simply stared back at her wordlessly causing the moment to become more awkward. Ruby couldn’t help but to fidget under her gaze; there was a weird feeling tingling under her skin as Christina continued to stare. She found that the other woman did that quite a bit; she didn't say much, but she would definitely let her eyes do all the talking until you broke down and said something instead.

“Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss Braithwhite?” 

“No, but I want to thank you for your time. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities for me to pick your brain. I’ll see you on Wednesday, Dr. Baptiste. Goodbye.” Christina replied turning on her heels and exiting the office without waiting for a response from Ruby.

Ruby was puzzled by the young woman and her impromptu visit. She shook her head as she attempted to make some sense out of what just happened. In all her years of teaching, Ruby had never come across a student like that. The other rich students she'd had were never that mysterious and inscrutable.

_What a strange young woman._

But the more Ruby thought about it, the more she started to remember about the time she sold _Bessie_.

Not only did someone (whom she now knew was Christina) spend 500 grand to bid on Bessie, but an anonymous donor donated 2 million dollars to renovate the performing arts department of Ruby’s alma mater. 

She always wondered who was responsible for all that goodwill and she suddenly wondered if Christina was also the anonymous donor too. And if so, _why?_

Was she a hardcore lover of music like Ruby? Or maybe something else? What would compel someone to spend that much money on something and someone they barely even knew?

Just who _was_ Christina Braithwhite? And where did she come from?

Where did her money come from? Ruby found herself asking more questions than she felt comfortable with. Her curiosity was growing, and she didn’t see it as a good thing. Allowing herself to think this much about a student was never a good idea, and she needed to stop this line of thinking before it grew into something bigger.

*******

**The following Friday**

“Music can transcend time, space, gender, and race. But it’s still important to pay homage to those who came before during a time where music performed by white musicians were considered to be the only music deemed important, impactful, and relevant to the world we live in. Music performed by white musicians were seen as universal and beloved by all.” Ruby said standing next to her desk.

“If your favorite musician of all time just so happens to be a white guy, then you would benefit from opening your mind and listening to their contemporaries because chances are there are far more similarities between your favorite musician and these other musicians than you might think.” Ruby continued. “And if you’re really aware of how history and racism works, then you should be able to acknowledge that most big named ‘legendary’ musicians were directly influenced by their non-mainstream contemporaries.”

“So, music is important to all of us in some way but it’s important to recognize the blood, sweat, and tears some of the non-mainstream musicians put into their craft to create the sound we all appreciate even by today’s standards?” Amanda asked. 

Before Ruby could answer, a handsome Black boy spoke, “History tells us that white men are the only trailblazers of anything. Let’s be honest - mainstream means white. So naturally, if it's not mainstream, then it's safe to say it isn’t white. And when it comes to music, white men are the chief trailblazers who steal the sounds of Black musicians and artists and put their names on it taking credit for it in the process.”

His relaxed yet blunt delivery caused a small smile to touch Ruby's lips. She always enjoyed her outspoken Black students.

“I wouldn’t have said it in such a way, but yes. You’re right.” Ruby replied, “Give credit where credit is due is the name of the game; your favorite white musician isn’t some artistic, creative genius. He was just lucky enough to be born in the right skin at the right time to be allowed to poach **entire** songs from Black artists who were far more talented than him but they were held back by racism. Much like today, of course. It's a different time but not much has changed.”

“Which brings us to your first assignment of the semester.” Ruby cheerfully stated causing the class to groan.

“Don’t worry; it’s an easy assignment - I want a 2500 word paper discussing one non-mainstream musician, preferably in rock and roll, of your choice and from any musical era and I want you to explain how said musician impacted the world and how their sound can still be heard in every genre of music today. You don’t have to provide specific examples, but you still need to provide enough information to get your point across.”

“This assignment is due next Friday. I also ask that you upload your papers to your Blackboard instead of bringing in hard copies. It would just be more work for the _both_ of us, and I doubt any of you want to go through all that work.”

She watched as every student scribbled in their notebooks and typed on their laptops. 

“If you forget what I said, there will be a copy of the assignment rubric uploaded to our course section on your Blackboard. Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the assignment? Or anything?”

The handsome boy from earlier whose name Ruby finally remembered to be Joseph raised his hand and asked, “Do you want us to provide rough drafts to you before the final deadline?”

She shook her head, “No, not for this assignment. For your papers due closer towards the end of the semester, you will have to provide rough drafts. This assignment is mostly for me to determine your writing style and how much material I need to cover this semester.”

Joseph nodded in response. While he appeared to be a loudmouth, he seemed to be intelligent, as well. Ruby found that she didn’t mind his refreshing yet brash opinions. He didn’t mince words, and she appreciated his perspectives. 

Ruby found their first official class on Wednesday to be just as entertaining as the one for today; this current group of students were more active during class discussions and she had a feeling it would be a fun semester for all of them.

Looking down at her watch, she realized it was time to dismiss class.

“Well, that’s all of the time we have for today. Don’t forget to grab a brochure for the museum of music on your way out. I may offer extra credit if you attend and provide a receipt and a 1 page paper detailing your experience.” She replied over the riff raff of books closing, laptops being shut down, and backpacks being filled.

Ruby walked around her desk and began gathering her things. Out of the corner of her eye, a pair of expensive pumps entered her periphery.

Stopping her ministrations, she lifted her head and quickly made eye contact with the individual standing there slightly fidgeting.

“What can I do for you, Miss Braithwhite?”

“Do we have to get prior approval from you before choosing a musician?”

“That would have been a good question to ask in front of your classmates.” Ruby suggested giving the student a knowing look causing her to shrug with a smile, “Well, no. I want to see what musicians you guys naturally gravitate towards without my input, so there won’t be any interference from me.”

“Due to what you just said, is it safe to say you’re not going to grade us as harshly?”

“Yes, it doesn’t count for a huge percent of your final grade but I would hope this would give us all a chance to explore the genre more from the perspective of those of us who have no voices.”

“Like from the musings of say, a B. Dandridge?” Christina asked with a raised brow.

Ruby smiled at that, and it finally made sense as to why she was asking. “Yes, you _are_ allowed to write a paper on B. Dandridge if you prefer to do so, Miss Braithwhite.”

“Thank you, Dr. Baptiste.” She replied softly with a small smile. 

“No problem. It’s what I’m here for.” Ruby said.

Christina nodded before floating away from her desk and out of her classroom.

With every encounter she had with the blonde, Ruby was always left feeling confused and out of sorts. Ruby couldn’t quite figure her out. Most people were easy for Ruby to read, but not Christina. While it seemed like she should have been fairly easy to read, she wasn't. Not by a long shot. Despite asking a question the first day of class, Christina hadn’t asked another one since.

During class time, that is.

Christina was a very curious cat after class and this was the second time she’d waited until everyone else had left to ask her something. It seemed as if she suddenly remember all the questions she wanted to ask when everyone else had exited the class leaving the two of them alone.

If Ruby was a girl-crazy teenager, she would think Christina had a harmless school girl crush on her.

But a modelesque girl like Christina Braithwhite could have any guy she wanted, and Ruby doubted she was even on her radar so there had to be some other reason for this strange yet flattering interest.

But because Ruby _wasn't_ a girl-crazy teenager, she didn't take it seriously.

The university had a policy against professors dating students after a particularly arrogant male professor began hooking up with a number of his students causing a bit of chaos to break out on the school campus. The students had all discovered their shared connection to said professor resulting in a bloodbath that people talked about for months. That event had occurred during Ruby’s first semester of being employed at the university but that one asshole set the precedent for every other professor there, innocent and otherwise.

Now that she had finished gathering all of her things, she was well on her way back home. She needed to shower and then get dressed because she was having dinner with her family tonight.

She dreaded going, but you didn’t say no to Eloise Baptiste. It was a standing weekly appointment, and it was compulsory. 

If she wanted you there, then you would be there. No questions asked.

*******

**Later that night**

“Now, I told you to sit down and let me do it. Yet, you keep showing up in my kitchen. The next time you reach into this pot, you’re going to pull back a nub.” The older woman warned.

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry mama.” Ruby said with a pout stepping away from the stove.

Eloise Baptiste stood at 5’10” with a commanding presence of dark brown skin, shoulder-length curly hair, smiling brown eyes, and dangerous curves much like her eldest daughter.

Ruby looked the most like their mother, while Letitia looked more like their father right down to the thin build and fine hair.

“I know you want to help, but you know how I feel about other people in my kitchen. Now, how’s work?”

“Work is good, fulfilling. There are so many minds just waiting to be shaped and molded into becoming the future of our world and this society; it's great! All the things I told you I wanted to achieve by being a professor, I’ve been able to achieve most of them.”

“I won’t lie - when you told me that you wanted to be a professor of music at some college, I wasn’t completely sold on the idea. Your singing was good enough for me, and I saw how you could make a living out of that. But I didn’t rightfully know what kind of living you could make out of being a professor, but you’ve proven yourself capable enough to make it work.”

“I know things were a little touch and go for a minute there because you didn’t want to follow in my footsteps and take up the family business, and I saw it as a rejection of **me**. I wasn’t thinking clearly before, but now I am and I _am_ proud of you.” Eloise continued turning to meet Ruby’s startled eyes, “Don’t think for a second that I’m not. I want you to know how proud I am, even if I don't say it enough.”

Her mama had never said anything like that to her before. Eloise didn’t apologize for _anything_ , so Ruby assumed this was her roundabout way of doing so. They had a contentious and complicated relationship rife with envy and pride, but there was still love there. Ruby didn't like her mother much while she was growing up, but she was happy to see their relationship coming to a fork in the road.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that, mama. It means a lot to me that you see what I'm trying to do here. It hurt to know that you didn't see my work as important; I always wanted you to see it the way I see it. I know what I want, and I’m determined to make it happen and I'm not letting anyone stop me. Chasing my dreams has never been a slight against you, mama; it’s about me and who _I_ want to be. I have my own vision of what I want for my life, and it's not always going to match up to what you think it should be. I have to be my own woman. I can't be in your shadow for the rest of my life.” Ruby revealed.

Eloise remained silent for a few seconds as Ruby listened to her hum at random times as if she were having a personal conversation with herself.

“I guess I’ve been wrong all this time,” Eloise said stepping away from the stove and drying her hands on the towel thrown over her shoulder, “You are a lot more like me than I cared to admit. You’re headstrong and you know what you want. We may have different goals, but you’re a go-getter just like me. I'm stubborn but so are you, and I don't know why I thought I could try to change you.”

Whenever people would mention how similar they were both in physical and personality traits, Ruby always took it as an insult. She would always reject the notion and it was often fill her with irritation and anger. She **never** wanted to be like her mother. So hearing Eloise say it in this context made her take the implication differently and it didn’t make it seem like such an insult to her this time. She would even say she took it as a compliment this time.

_I guess there’s a first time for everything._

“Thank you, mama. I've always wanted to hear that from you.”

Eloise nodded in kind before turning away from Ruby surreptitiously wiping her eyes before reaching up to grab the plates from the cabinet above, “The food is ready. You can tell Leti to come down and fix her plate.”

\--------------------------------------------

“So, Leti, what have you been doing for work these days?” Ruby asked spooning a few scoops of mashed potatoes onto her plate before passing the bowl to her mother.

Leti perked up and her eyes brightened in excitement.

“I’m working at mama’s shop!” Leti exclaimed excitedly, “I’ve learned how to wash, dry, cut and braid in the past month. Miss Willie Mae, you remember her, let me use her as my guinea pig.”

“Wow, I’m surprised mama let you practice on her loyal paying customers.” Ruby joked.

“I know!” Leti said with a laugh. “She even gave me a $10 tip after I finished.”

“That’s good. Are you going into the psychic business now too?”

“Ruby.” Eloise warned.

“I’m just asking.”

“No, I’m not gifted enough to do that just yet.” Leti slowly replied unsure of how to reply without pissing off Eloise.

“Neither is Mama.” Ruby joked.

“Ruby Baptiste!”

“I’m just kidding; I'm kidding. I’m glad you found something that you like, Leti.” Ruby said with a genuine smile directed towards her baby sister.

Leti returned her smile; she knew to never get in the middle of her sister and her mother when they bumped heads. Unsurprisingly enough, it wasn’t pretty. They didn't agree on much and it was not worth the headache to get involved.

“Speaking of which, have you found a man to make an honest woman out of you yet?” Eloise asked cutting into her steak thoughtfully before placing the tender meat in her mouth.

“It’s not the 50s, mama. There’s no such thing as a biological clock, so there’s no rush for me to find a spouse right now. I’m taking my time in finding the right person; it doesn’t make me a spinster. It will happen when it's supposed to happen. I'm not going to force it.”

“Modern era or not, you need to start putting down some roots by getting married and starting a family. You’re my eldest daughter, and it’s expected of you. I'm expecting grandchildren and you're at the age where you should be giving them to me by now.” Eloise lectured causing Ruby to surreptitiously roll her eyes out of annoyance and exasperation.

She was like a dog with a bone at this point.

As much as they had been having this conversation lately, you would think they were living in 1955. Every time Eloise asked, Ruby always gave her the same answer. The older woman just refused to listen. It's like everything Ruby said went in one ear and out the other. There were still some things that Eloise outright refused to accept, and Ruby wondered if she ever would.

“That's enough about me. Have you found someone, Leti?” Ruby asked taking the heat and attention off of herself. 

Ruby watched as her sister blushed letting her know that she had.

“Who is he? What’s his name?” 

“Actually, you already know him.” Leti revealed.

Ruby raised a single questioning brow in response giving Leti the signal to keep talking.

“It’s Tic.”

“Tic? Tic as in Atticus Turner?” Ruby asked.

Leti nodded.

“I remember babysitting Tic when he was a kid. That’s not a pairing I would have ever expected to happen. I've only seen him once since he's been back.” Ruby said, “How did _that_ happen?”

“Well, I was thumbing through the books in the science fiction section of the library hoping to find a good cosmic horror novel when he bumped into me. Literally. Knocked me right on my ass! And there he is just standing there mooning down at me instead of helping me up, so I had to chew him out to get him to do something. He starts apologizing and then he just keeps apologizing while pushing his glasses up on his face and he was just so cute! So, I asked him out and he said yes. _Naturally._ And the rest is history.” Leti explained smugly. 

“Sounds about right,” Ruby laughed, “You wouldn’t be Letitia Baptiste if you weren’t running roughshod over everyone else.”

Leti sat up a bit straighter as she preened under Ruby’s praise.

Ruby was proud of how far Leti had come. There was a brief period where Leti ran wild and refused to grow up, but it didn’t affect their relationship that much. Leti never involved Ruby in her shenanigans and she never asked her big sister to save her. Leti wanted to have fun; and if it involved spending a night in a jail cell to do it, Leti was always up for it. She was irresponsible and immature, and she had a family that enabled it so she had no real incentive to grow up. However, she never expected Ruby to save her. If Ruby helped her, it was because Ruby wanted to but it was rare that the job fell on Ruby's shoulders. No, that was a thankless job for Eloise luckily.

If anything, it made Ruby resentful of the fact that Leti was even given the chance to fuck up and have fun at all. Ruby was the eldest daughter so she was never encouraged to spend time ‘finding herself' and finding trouble. She had to be the responsible, sometimes surrogate, parental figure. 

If only she had been given the same opportunity to run wild, then maybe Ruby would be a different person right now.

For all the resentment Ruby may have had in regards to the difference of their treatment within their family structure, Leti always idolized her big sister. It was why Ruby refused to take her resentment out on her sister it wasn’t Leti's fault that their mother placed so many more expectations on Ruby than on her. Leti had nothing to do with what Eloise did.

Ruby was always closer to their father growing up before he died because he treated both sisters the same; he fawned over baby Ruby and that didn’t stop, even when baby Leti entered the world. He simply loved his daughters, equally and to the same extent. If he didn’t, then he was very good at hiding his true feelings. He had enough love for the both of them, and he never let either of them forget it.

“Big sis, you taught me well. Be an outright bitch to them and then wait for them to come crawling back on their hands and knees because all men loves bitches. That's what you told me.” Leti replied haughtily causing Ruby to burst into giggles.

She vaguely remembered having a conversation like that when Leti was 16. She wasn’t _entirely_ certain of the details of the conversation but it sounded like something she would say. She doubted she said that in a serious manner, but it was funny to think that _that_ was what Leti may have taken from that conversation.

“Watch your mouth, girl! Besides, Ruby got it from me! So, you’re both welcome. I drop gems of wisdom like that all the time.” Eloise interjected smugly taking a sip of her lemonade.

Eloise would **not** be ignored, and she would never let you forget that she was in the room.

Ruby and Leti shared a glance before they both fell into raucous laughter causing their mother to roll her eyes at their shenanigans. It made Ruby feel good to know that things were starting to course correct with her and Eloise, and her sisterly relationship with Leti was just as strong as ever. Things were starting to be peaceful again.

Life was good.


	2. what are you doing this weekend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm back! If you notice, I changed the rating for this story. Why, you may ask? Because of this monster of a chapter. Now, I am not comfortable writing smut. I'm NOT the girl who writes smut; you guys go to other writers for that, and I'm okay with that. I'm the girl who gives you emotional feels, not lusty feels. You guys should know this by now, but this chapter got away from me and I got so carried away with the story that I actually ended up writing smut. And I actually LIKE what I wrote. Go figure, huh?
> 
> We finally meet Caleb, and ... I don't know what he looks like. I wasn't concerned with casting him. It wasn't important. I guess you could picture Jordan as Caleb as William doesn't exist in this story anyway. I may end up casting him at some point, maybe before I end this story, but don't hold your breath. Don't.

**January 2020 (continued)**

"Just a reminder: your papers are due this Friday. If you've already turned it in, then you're fine. As for everyone else, the clock is ticking." Ruby said dismissing the class as her students sprung into action to leave, which is when she began packing up her own things. 

While she was forcing a particularly difficult textbook into her bag, she heard the tell-tale sounds of footsteps walk towards her desk instead of away from it. 

Looking up, she was met with the arrogant smirk of someone she was hell bent on avoiding. 

"Dr. Maxwell, what can I do for you?"

The woman's brows rose out of faux shock, " _Dr. Maxwell?_ Wow, so formal. I would think that due to our history that you would refer to me as Shaun." 

Shaun Maxwell was 5'3" with almond shaped, brown eyes, loose dark brown curls, brown skin only a couple shades lighter than Ruby, and a slim but curvy frame. 

"Again, how can I help you?" Ruby said with a huff.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing. After you blocked me, I couldn't contact you anymore."

"That's usually what happens when you block someone." Ruby snapped internally rejoicing that she had finally finished gathering all of her things. 

"If you would have unblocked me, then you would know that I've been wanting to make amends with you."

"It's been 8 months, Shaun." Ruby sighed, "Whatever we had or could have is completely done; it doesn't exist anymore. There are no second chances. _You_ made sure of that."

"Oh, did I? It's that way because **you** say it is?" Shaun replied bitterly with no trace of her earlier smile.

Ruby wondered how long it would take for the woman's façade to crumble and fall to pieces at their feet. Shaun couldn't hide for that long and Ruby saw right through her. 

She couldn't always see the truth about Shaun, but it was easy as pie once she found out what Shaun was - a cold-hearted snake. 

Ruby was blinded by her feelings for the other woman and she wondered how long Shaun's duplicity had gone on before she finally found out the truth.

"No, but I'd imagine your husband would say so."

Shaun's eyes narrowed and her lips tightened, "I would have you know that we're not married anymore. That's why I've been trying to talk to you."

"Okay, and? It doesn't change anything. Why would I want to be with someone who lies about _everything_?"

"I didn't lie. You know why I couldn't tell you about my husband."

"It was a lie. You omitted to tell me about your husband, and that was definitely pertinent information that I needed to know. But you knew that I would have gone running in the opposite direction had I known, and rightfully so." Ruby said. 

"I did what you wanted, and it's _still_ not enough?" Shaun asked incredulously, "This is why we couldn't work out because you always asked for too much."

"What have you done for me, Shaun? I mean, really? What exactly did you do?" Ruby asked.

"I held your hand when you were defending your thesis. All those long nights of never getting an ounce of affection or **sex** from you took a toll on me, but I stood right there by your side the _entire_ time. And don't get me started on your overbearing mother and your needy ass sister!"

"You better watch your mouth. I mean it, Shaun. Don't make me say something that we both know will gut you where you stand." Ruby warned.

She didn't want to go there, but it seemed as if Shaun came here for a fight. If that was the case, Ruby was ready to give her one.

"Oh, please. I was the long-suffering girlfriend who gave you everything, and you were never satisfied with any of it."

"Don't play the victim, Shaun! It doesn't suit you. Even now, you refuse to hold yourself accountable. I didn't ask for enough and you couldn't even give me **that** ; you gave me nothing but broken promises and you still think you're the one who lost in this relationship. Fuck you, Shaun!" Ruby exclaimed hearing her voice bounce off the walls of the lecture hall.

Ruby noticed a few students awkwardly standing in the open door of the classroom and she shook her head.

She needed to get out of here. She had been doing such a good job of keeping her work life separate from her personal life, but Shaun just brought out the worst in her.

Pushing past the stunned woman, Ruby angrily walked away from her.

She could hear Shaun calling her name, but she refused to engage anymore. She walked right out of the classroom and past the dumbfounded students. 

Luckily, that was her last class for today. 

She needed to go home and pour herself a glass of wine. Unfortunately, she needed to drop off a study guide to a student so it didn't seem like she was going to be able to do such a thing just yet. 

Shaun knew how to get under her skin. Ruby had no more feelings for her, but she was still a little bitter about how their relationship ended. 

All her hopes and aspirations for their future together were dashed in one night. 

She needed to forgive herself for it, but it was hard. But she was determined to do so. 

\--------------------------------------------

Ruby couldn’t believe she was doing this, but this was the only way to get this information to her as the college website was down for system maintenance and no one was really sure when it would be back up.

_Fucking incompetent tech people!_

Knocking on the door of the large mansion, she adjusted her sweater with one hand to release her nerves and soothe her anxiety while holding the study guide in the other.

Before she could talk herself out of it, the door suddenly flew open.

She was now face to face with a tall, lean, attractive blond man with eerily familiar eyes.

 _I know those eyes._

He looked just as shocked as she felt until his eyes dipped below her face and he gave her a lascivious once over. She saw the change as soon as it happened, and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes but this was something she was accustomed to at this point.

“Who might you be?” He flirted with hooded eyes.

“I’m Ruby. I’m looking for Christina?”

His brows shot up at that, “Really? Now, **that’s** a shame. I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type.”

Ruby mouthed the word ‘type’ out of confusion.

_What the fuck does that mean?_

“Come in,” He said stepping to the side, opening the door wider so she could enter.

Wordlessly accepting his invitation, she walked in and stopped in the foyer taking in the entrance.

_Wow._

Turning around to ask the man about the molding of the staircase, she saw that his eyes were laser focused on her backside. Clearing her throat to grab his attention, he forced his eyes upward with a smirk unashamed at the fact that she just caught him ogling her. 

He closed the door behind him without breaking eye contact with her.

“It’s nice, right?” She asked.

“What’s that?”

“My butt.”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re a pig.” She said in disgust.

“I won’t apologize for noticing a beautiful woman, but I **will** apologize for getting caught.”

“Whatever.” She said rolling her eyes, “Now, where is Christina?”

“Downstairs.”

“Well, can you go get her?” She impatiently asked.

“Sure.” He said slowly walking away from Ruby with his bottom lip tucked in his mouth between his teeth.

Shaking her head at him, he was soon on his way to wherever Christina was.

It took less than a minute before Ruby laid eyes on the blonde with her hair pinned up in a loose bun with a few strands framing her beautiful face. She was dressed down in light blue jeans and a bright red long-sleeved shirt with a stained smock over her clothes.

“Hello, I see you’ve already met Caleb.” Christina said motioning towards him with a careless hand.

“Yes, we’re acquainted but he never told me his name. But word of advice for next time - you should probably tell your sleazy boyfriend that he can’t just go around hitting on your professors.”

“Boyfriend?!”

“ **You’re** a professor?” Caleb asked incredulously at the same time Christina spoke.

“Um … yes?” She asked unsure of his reaction.

“Of _what_? I certainly don’t remember any of my professors looking like you. Maybe I would have enjoyed college more if they did.”

“Caleb.” Christina sighed before directing her attention to Ruby, “Dr. Baptiste, what brings you by?”

“I wanted to drop off the study guide since you weren’t in class today. No one in class knew how to contact you or track you down. It seems like you don’t talk to anyone in class, so my options were limited. Luckily, I was able to pull some strings and find your address so I could personally bring it to you.” Ruby said handing the booklet to Christina.

Thank you,” Christina said taking the proffered booklet, “But I don’t need it. I remember all of your lectures, and I take really good notes.”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet?”

“Listen, buddy.” Ruby said fixing him with an evil stare, “If you keep interrupting our conversation, I’m going to choke you with that very expensive ascot you’re wearing. Do I make myself clear?”

Her words caused Caleb to close his mouth before she noticed an awed expression form on his face. Christina looked pleased but she said nothing in his defense.

“Yes, ma’am.” He finally said with a smirk before turning towards Christina, “Darling, I’ll await your return in the living area so you can tell me all about your day.”

Christina glared at him as he cackled like a maniac while leaving the two women alone.

Ruby didn’t get the joke but she assumed it was a private one between the couple.

“He’s something.” Ruby said.

“Oh, he’s definitely a character. Imagine being stuck with him for the rest of your life.” Christina said.

Ruby’s brows raised at that; she wondered if that meant they were to get married soon. They seemed to have a strange dynamic, but she assumed it worked for them or else Christina wouldn’t have already been planning to spend the rest of her life with him.

She was suddenly struck with an odd sense of discomfort at the thought; she didn’t know where it came from, but it made her feel funny. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint why she felt this way, and she didn’t want to think about why that was. Instead, she simply changed the subject.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you in the middle of whatever it was that you were doing." Ruby said motioning towards Christina's gear. 

"Oh, no! You weren't interrupting anything. I needed to get out of the lab anyway; I’ve been down there for the past three hours."

"You have a lab?" Ruby asked without thinking knowing it wasn't her business what her students did outside of her classroom. 

"Yes. I'm majoring in chemistry, so I used some of my father's money to build my own lab in the basement." 

Ruby's eyes widened at the revelation. She suspected Christina was filthy rich, but this was proof that she truly was.

How many people from the South Side had access to enough money to build their own chemistry lab? Not many, that's for sure. Ruby couldn’t even imagine having that much money.

"Huh, that's interesting." Ruby finally said thoughtfully.

Christina smiled at her words scanning her face with her eyes. There were those eyes again.

Ruby started to get that weird feeling again. It was time for her to make her exit. 

"So, that was the only thing I needed to do, so I'll be on my way." Ruby said before turning away from Christina's gaze and walking towards the front door.

Ruby's hand was wrapped around the gold door knob when it happened. 

"Wait!"

Ruby stopped in her tracks but didn’t respond. 

"There's a blues singer performing at this hole in the wall bar I know. She's going to be there on Friday night around 9. Would you like to go with me?"

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Miss Braithwhite." Ruby said in a monotone voice that didn't reveal her true feelings.

"It's **not** a date. It's a no strings attached invitation where two music lovers can enjoy some good music together. Surely, _that_ can't be against the rules." 

Ruby really wanted to see the look on Christina's face but she knew they were already creeping into dangerous territory. Friendly outing or not, Ruby knew she was pushing the envelope by even considering the offer. Because that’s how it started - it started with an outing with just the two of them and then it turned into **more**.

And if the sleazy boyfriend that just opened the door was anything to go by, then she knew this could cause a lot of trouble in the long run.

"Please." Christina whispered.

Ruby knew this was a bad idea, but there was something in the back of her mind telling her to ignore those second thoughts and just go with it.

_Throw caution to the wind, Ruby. You always do the right thing; you’re always the responsible one. Live a little._

"Okay, but I'll meet you there instead. I'll see you in class on Wednesday, Miss Braithwhite." Ruby replied turning the knob in her grip opening the door and walking out of the house and into the bright sun. 

_What have I gotten myself into?_

*******

**Friday Night**

Ruby didn’t want to get too dolled up, but it was in her nature to get dressed to the nines when she was going out. Whether it was with a student or not, she still liked to look good. She appreciated her height and her curves and she didn’t mind showing them off.

Luckily, Christina was even taller than her and wore heels confidently so Ruby didn’t think she needed to forego her favorite pair of heels.

But this was the first time she had actually accepted an offer from a student to go out before, so this was all unexplored territory for her.

Up until tonight, Ruby was constantly twisting herself into knots thinking about everything that could go wrong with this scenario.

She wholeheartedly believed in Murphy’s law - anything that _can_ go wrong **will** go wrong. 

She worried, but she knew it was all for naught. Nothing had gone wrong yet, and she truly didn't need to put that energy out into the universe. 

Ruby already felt bad because she lied to her mother about being swamped with grading papers and she couldn't make it to dinner. She knew where she wanted to be, and it wasn't sitting at Eloise's table staring at Leti. 

She saw Christina in both classes since Monday, but she never acted any differently. But then, Ruby started to think that it was just her and she was reading too much into it.

Maybe she was the only one internally freaking out while Christina was as cool as a cucumber. That wasn't a good sign, because that meant that Ruby was the only one allowing this invitation to affect her like this.

Or maybe Christina didn't see this invitation the same way she did? 

Ruby needed to rein it in.

She was too nervous to get there earlier than their agreed upon time. Too much idle time would allow her enough time to talk herself out of this, and she didn’t want to do that.

Standing someone up was worse than simply telling them no.

Ruby stepped out of her Lyft and waved goodbye to the nice older Black woman who’d driven her to the bar. She was a grandma of six and Ruby found it easy to talk to her, so she didn’t mind the talking as much as she usually did.

Ruby didn’t think she would get really sloshed tonight, but she wanted to be on the safe side anyway. She decided to use common sense by getting a driver, because there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t drink.

It was a blues gig, so there would be smoke and drinks flowing freely. It reminded her of what she used to get up to after she finished undergrad and before she started grad school. There was a period of time where she would travel cross country and let B. Dandridge come out to play.

She was making a living off of her gigs and she was having fun. Every day was a new experience and she was having the time of her life, but she knew she needed to do something more than just be B. Dandridge. B. Dandridge had her own legacy, but Ruby Baptiste needed something a little more to make her feel satisfied with the legacy she was leaving behind. Hence her grand idea to become a university professor.

Standing on the cracked sidewalk, she looked up at the neon sign above the bar. She smiled as she thought about the last time she had stepped in foot in this particular bar. It had been some time since she’d gone to Sammy's, and she was surprised that Christina even knew the place **existed**.

She didn’t look like the type to frequent this type of bar, but then again, Christina didn’t look like the type to enjoy the music of B. Dandridge either.

Ruby knew it wasn’t smart to judge a book by its cover, because the other woman was constantly shocking her at every turn.

She smiled with a shake of her head as she knew this was only the beginning.

Before she could go in, she took a deep breath before walking into the crowded bar. Looking up on the stage, she realized that she wasn't the only one fashionably late. 

The talent for tonight hadn't made an appearance either, Ruby assumed.

Walking through the throngs of people, she looked around before her eyes fell on her date for tonight.

Christina towered over everyone else around and it was fairly easy to pick her out in the crowd. She was one of maybe three white people here tonight but she didn't look out of place or uncomfortable. 

Ruby watched as Christina looked down at her phone for the fourth time in the past minute or so. She was standing at the bar presumably ordering a quick drink before Ruby got there. While Christina was preoccupied, Ruby allowed herself to take in what she was wearing. 

She was wearing a dark blue pinstripe three piece [pantsuit](https://celebmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/blake-lively-anna-kendrick-a-simple-favor-movie-filming-in-toronto-08-25-2017-4.jpg) that fit her frame delectably, even though most men would be turned off from a woman who opted to wear men's suits. Christina appeared to be comfortable in it. Ruby could tell it was expensive and she could also tell it was tailored to specifically fit her body. It was quite androgynous.

Ruby looked down at her own candy apple red, ruched midi [dress](https://www.pinkqueen.com/upload/thumb/360x540/goodsimport/2016-11/PCD1786RE_1.jpg). It wasn't as expensive as what Christina was wearing and she was sure of it, but it showed off every curve she was proud of. 

She worked hard to save enough to splurge on this dress, and she only brought it out for special occasions. What was a better occasion than this?

Deciding to finally put the blonde out of her misery, Ruby stepped closer towards her at the exact time Christina looked up from her phone.

Ruby smiled at her and waved as she watched Christina eyes brightened but she only gave her a controlled smirk in return.

Ruby continued to make the small trek towards her before finally making it to the bar.

"Hey."

"Hey, I thought maybe you were running late or something." Christina said leaning down to speak into Ruby's ear.

"No, I would have sent you a text if I were." Ruby said unwilling to explain that she wanted to get rid of the butterflies in her stomach before showing up here, "What are you drinking?"

"Whiskey."

Ruby's brows shot up at her answer. 

Christina looked at her face before releasing a beautiful husky laugh, "What? Let me guess - I don't look like the type, right?"

"Honestly? No. You look like you prefer apple martinis and cosmopolitans."

"The one thing you're going to learn about me, Dr. Baptiste, is that I'm full of surprises." She smoothly replied staring at Ruby with those eyes again.

"Ruby." Ruby said blinking her eyes as if she were under a spell, "I think it's safe to say that you can call me Ruby now."

"Okay, Ruby then." She said, "What shall I order for you?"

"I'll have what you're having."

"Good choice. It's the most expensive whiskey they have here, so it's incredibly smooth."

Ruby nodded wordlessly as she watched Christina flag down the bartender with her long, thin fingers.

 _Her fingers look like they can bring some mind blowing pleasure._

Christina spoke to the bartender for a few seconds before handing a few bills to her. Ruby caught the word 'tab' and smiled at that. She guessed they would **definitely** be drinking tonight. 

After Christina finished, she turned back towards Ruby expectantly. 

"So, tell me about Christina."

Christina froze infinitesimally before putting a lazy smirk on, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. You can start with telling me about your father."

"My father is a complicated man. He's very much the garden variety racist and misogynist, and we don't get along very well. I have a brother, and my father has always preferred him over me. He thought the only way to solidify his legacy was to have a son in his image." She explained. “Which is why he had no need for me.”

"I know what that's like." Ruby said grabbing the drink placed in front of her by the bartender.

Taking a sip of it, she smiled as the liquid slid down her throat.

 _She was right_ ; _it_ **was** _smooth_.

"How so?" Christina asked.

"My mother is just as complicated as your father, except for the racism of course. She preferred my sister over me. It’s so scary how similar they are; they're only similar in personality and not in looks, of course. I guess she was just happy to finally have a daughter who was her little Mini Me. My mother and I clashed a lot when I was growing up, and we rarely saw eye to eye on anything, but she and Leti agreed on **everything**." 

“Do you resent her?” She asked softly.

Ruby thought about the question and she already knew the answer; it was just a strange thing to finally say out loud to another person, and she never thought this day would come where she would feel comfortable enough to admit to her true feelings.

“Yes.” Ruby whispered looking down into her glass.

“Hope breeds eternal misery,” Christina said causing Ruby’s eyes to dart back up towards her, “When you’re constantly hoping for something that you know you’ll never get, you’re imprisoning yourself in the misery that comes with the realization. Hoping that my father would wake up one day and see me for who I am and to be proud of me only served to make me hate myself even more.”

Ruby’s heart ached for Christina. 

While Eloise caused a lot of insecurity issues in Ruby, it was never bad enough where Ruby grew to hate herself. But she knew everyone responded to the same trauma in different ways.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re stuck in that same trauma response.” Ruby said motioning towards the tailored suit Christina was wearing.

Christina smiled at her words while Ruby watched a slight blush come to her cheeks.

“Well, that’s different.”

“And how is it different?”

“Despite my word vomit, I wanted to impress you and I wanted you to think that I was the most brilliant mind you’d ever come in contact with. I can’t impress you if I’m too busy hating myself to understand that I still need to look like a million bucks.” Christina purred.

“Why would it matter?” Ruby smirked, “This isn’t a date, remember?”

“Right.” Christina said leaning back with a smirk on her own sitting across her lips.

“So, was it just you and your sister?” Christina asked.

“No, I have an older brother too, Marvin. But you know how it is when you’re the elder daughter, you’re the surrogate mom sometimes. You’re expected to look after your younger sibling, even though there’s someone older than you and just as capable.” Ruby said, “Fortunately, my mother took full responsibility for Leti once I became an adult. Which I think she actually enjoyed.”

“Tell me about your father.” Christina said.

“My father was an amazing man. He treated all of his children equally, and he was affectionate with all of us. None of us wanted for affection where he was concerned. He wasn’t formally educated or anything like that, but he had a lot of street smarts. He could squeeze a dollar out of 15 cents, much like my mother. I think it’s what made them gravitate towards each other; that hustler spirit to make it by any means necessary. He wasn’t perfect, but he was a good dad.”

Christina smiled at her words before nodding wordlessly. Christina was a woman of few words. Christina’s quiet swagger reminded Ruby a lot of her father actually, but she wouldn’t tell her that just yet. She wasn’t sure how it would go over, but the way Christina carried herself had her father written all over it.

One of the first things Ruby noticed about Christina tonight was the masculine energy she gave off. She didn’t notice it before, but she didn’t remember it being this potent before either. Whatever vibe it was, it made Ruby's heart race.

She had never met someone, man or woman, who gave off so much masculine power before. None of the men that had attempted to bed Ruby in the past gave off this much big dick energy and that was saying something. 

There was something about Christina that made alarm bells go off in Ruby’s head, but in a good way. 

It was like she was entering the danger zone, but she didn't want to walk away. No, she **refused** to walk away.

This was going to end badly, but she would see where things went before she jumped off this ride. 

"What's the name of this performer again?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, her name is Alice Smith." 

\--------------------------------------------

“This is a very very special cover I did in honor of an amazingly talented singer - Nina Simone.” Alice spoke causing the crowd to murmur in excitement. “It’s my favorite song and I know you guys love it too.”

Ruby’s brow rose at her statement. She didn’t know what that meant, but everyone else was excited about it for some reason.

Ruby loved Nina Simone and she liked everything she heard from Alice thus far, so she decided to simply go with it.

They'd been jamming with Alice for the past two and a half hours. Luckily, Christina got them great seats as they were only a mere table away from the stage. So Ruby was able to get the full experience and it reminded her of the good ol' days.

Seeing Alice in her element definitely made Ruby miss it. She missed being on stage and taking in all that energy from the crowd and just spilling your soul onto the stage and into the raptures. 

Surreptitiously glancing over at Christina out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed an excited expression cross her face.

“This song is called _I Put A Spell On You_.” She finished.

The music started off with a few soulful notes before Alice began singing.

_“I put a spell on you ‘cause you’re mine…”_

Ruby had heard various versions of this song before but she had never heard this one.

Enraptured by Alice’s impassioned, haunted version of a classic, Ruby started to feel warm all over.

It could have been the whiskey or it could be the song. 

The song was sexy, reverent, and _dark_.

It wasn’t about Alice’s technique; it was about emotion, feeling, and _passion_ , which Alice had a lot of. Alice darkened the notes exposing the longing and desperation in the song.

In the midst of Ruby getting swept away by the music, she suddenly felt a feather light touch land on her bare thigh. Like most women of her size and body type, her dress rose up significantly when she sat down causing her bare thighs to be exposed to the cool air of the room. Which left her at the mercy of Christina Braithwhite.

She chose not to look next to her. If she looked, then she couldn’t claim plausible deniability when this thing they had inevitably blew up in her face.

As Alice continued to make love to their eardrums, the touch slowly ascended up her thigh. Ruby looked around the dark, crowded bar to see if anyone had noticed. But their table was strategically keeping prying eyes away from what was happening underneath. 

A large, warm hand curved inward and wrapped itself around the inner part of her left thigh. Ruby had half a mind to spread her legs wider to give the other woman room to do whatever she wanted.

It was like a jolt to the system as Christina’s hand rested possessively on her thigh. 

She didn’t go any further, but Ruby desperately wanted her to. 

Ruby was suddenly aware of every nerve ending between her legs. The slight initial tickle gave way to pure arousal, lust, and warmth. 

_“I love ya, I love you, I love you …”_

As Alice’s voice grew more desperate, Christina’s hand began its ascent again. Ruby allowed her legs to fall open in response.

If she were going to break the rules, then she would definitely get something out of it in the process. Christina’s fingers danced along the inside of her thigh causing Ruby to hold her breath in anticipation.

As Christina’s fingers trailed closer and closer to the holy mecca, Ruby finally released the breath she was holding. But before Christina could reach her destination, the song ended and the crowd was giving her a loud, raucous applause. 

It was like someone threw cold water on her causing her to abruptly stand to her feet pushing her seat back and inadvertently forcing Christina’s hand to fall from her thigh.

Ruby didn’t make eye contact with the other woman as she excused herself to make a quick dash to the restroom at the back of the bar. Shuffling towards the women’s restroom, she pushed the swinging door open. Turning the faucet on, she roughly grabbed some brown paper towels from the dispenser and placed them under the running water getting them wet. 

Bending at the waist, Ruby bent down closing her eyes and brought the damp paper towel to her forehead to cool herself down. Reaching over to turn off the faucet, she rose opening her eyes simultaneously being completely caught off-guard by Christina’s face in the mirror behind her.

“Hey.” Ruby said in a stilted voice.

Christina said nothing giving her a long once-over before meeting her eyes again.

“Wait.” Ruby said slowly edging away from the sink as she knew what that look meant.

Christina shushed her before gently guiding her towards an empty stall.

Guiding her in and locking the stall behind them both, Christina pressed her heated body against Ruby’s. Grabbing her face with both hands, Christina placed a soft, deep kiss on Ruby’s full lips a few times before teasing her lips open with a determined tongue.

Ruby sighed against Christina’s insistent kiss finally allowing her entrance into the holy grail. 

Ruby kissed her back while her hands moved down towards Christina’s waist and around to her bony backside. Christina took that as a sign and broke away from Ruby’s lips and scattered tiny kisses across her cheek to her earlobe and down her neck.

“We can’t.” Ruby breathlessly replied in one last ditch effort to hold onto her professional dignity. 

Christina’s lips went back towards Ruby’s ear before replying, “Yes, we can. When I put my hand between your legs, you weren’t interested in stopping me then. I could fuck you right here right now and you would beg me not to stop.”

Ruby let out a soft moan at her words. She was right.

“I thought so.” Christina said removing her lips from the shell of Ruby’s ear descending towards the nape of her neck again.

Christina’s big hands dropped back down to Ruby’s thighs again before raking up the hem of Ruby’s dress. Caressing the soft skin of Ruby’s smooth backside, she massaged the two large globes in her hands forcing a moan from Ruby's lips.

Removing her right hand from Ruby’s butt, she put a hand between Ruby’s thighs and placed her fingers against the wet fabric of Ruby’s underwear. 

Sliding her panties to the side expertly with one hand, Christina gently swiped between the hairless lips of Ruby’s folds. 

Christina released her own moan at the feel of the wet flesh at her fingertips. Ruby released a stuttering sigh while her knees grew weak.

Christina pushed two fingers into Ruby’s pussy caressing her clit with a gentle thumb.

“I didn’t think it would be this easy to fuck my professor.” She said causing Ruby to mewl. “What would your students say if they knew you liked getting fucked in public restrooms?”

It was almost as if Christina knew exactly what to say. Ruby flooded Christina’s fingers with her cream.

Stroking her, Christina wanted to make her cum. Ruby bit her bottom lip closing her eyes in the process as she rode Christina’s long fingers chasing that elusive high.

“That’s it, baby. Just like that. Ride Daddy’s fingers, make yourself cum.” 

Christina used her grip on Ruby’s butt as leverage to push her body towards her probing fingers. Ruby let out a low cry as she continued to ride Christina’s expert fingers. She was almost there, just a little more. 

“Maybe next time, you can ride my face like that. Would you like that? Would you let Daddy taste you?”

Her words caused Ruby to shoot off like a geyser. 

Ruby let out a shocked, almost confused moan as she fell over the cliff with the blood rushing to her ears and her muscles contracting as Christina kept stroking her through it. 

Ruby was finally coming down from her high but she kept her eyes closed. Enjoying the feel of the gentle kisses from Christina’s lips randomly skip across her face, Ruby knew she fucked up.

She was too far gone, and so was Christina presumably. 

_What have I done?_

****

*******

  
****

**2 weeks later...**

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Her voice accused bitterly.

Ruby knew it was only a matter of time before the blonde caught her and cornered her. She tried her best to steer clear of the blonde after what happened That Night. Stumbling into her house after Christina dropped her off, she knew she couldn’t become any more involved with her than she had been.

But she also knew that it was far too late to take any of it back. She wasn’t in denial by any means - she let Christina Braithwhite fuck her in the restroom of a bar and she loved it. 

She spent the next couple of weeks beating herself up about it. She couldn’t even look at Christina during class time and she opted to stay away from her office until she figured out how to get her head back on straight.

On top of all that, she was wracked with guilt knowing that she slept with some guy’s girlfriend. After everything that had happened with Shaun, Ruby tried her damndest to stay away from taken women. If she could help it, she would. With Shaun, she didn’t know about her husband and Shaun did everything in her power to hide that information from her.

But with Christina, Ruby found that she simply didn’t _care._ The attraction was too strong, too potent, too **overwhelming** for her to respect the fact that Christina had a boyfriend she was living with. A sleazy boyfriend, nonetheless. Besides, the way Christina touched her body let Ruby know that the woman knew her way around a woman’s body.

She was still in the midst of figuring out how to deal with the Christina Problem. Which was more of a problem on Ruby’s end and not with Christina. Ruby did something in direct violation of policy, and she was worried what would happen if The Powers That Be found out about it. 

She was stressing over being found out and she was feeling guilty about having sex with Christina. Ruby was out of sorts and it even showed in her teaching, but she vowed to get back to her old self. 

That is until a very angry and irritated blonde with crossed arms showed up to her office and ambushed her.

“Miss Braithwhite.” Ruby said walking around the other woman to close her office door to keep curious ears from hearing their conversation.

“You haven’t been to your office except for today, and you won’t respond to any of my text messages. Why?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“I think you’ve been avoiding me. And from the look on your face right now, I would be right. What changed? Did I do something wrong? Is it me? Did you not like what happened? It seemed like you did.” Christina said and Ruby could see the naked insecurity written across her face.

Ruby didn’t want Christina to think it was something she did, but she couldn’t blame her for assuming so. It’s not like she gave her much of an explanation before she ghosted her.

“It’s … complicated.” Ruby sighed.

“How?” Christina said crowding Ruby’s space forcing her into the front of her desk.

“I..”

“You already let me fuck you, so what’s the complication?”

“That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Then you should have said no but you didn’t. Besides, how can I resist you? You make it very hard. Even now, I want to get on my knees and eat you out until you cum all over my face.”

“Uhh.”

Christina took advantage of Ruby’s shock and arousal and leaned in to kiss her lips. Wanting to taste Ruby’s lips again, she couldn’t stop herself from plundering Ruby’s willing mouth.

Ruby knew Christina’s game, and she felt odd enjoying her touch despite what she knew. It seemed like Christina always upped her seduction factor when she was unsure where Ruby stood with her. 

It was a far cry from the woman who simply stared at her to show her attraction. It was an odd dichotomy - she was bold enough to try to get into Ruby's pants but she was also uncertain about how Ruby felt about her. 

"Is this okay?" Christina asked pulling back from the kiss.

"Umm …" Ruby started but she couldn't think straight with Christina so close to her, "It's fine but what about Caleb?"

Ruby saw the moment it happened. Christina subconsciously took a step back from her and her eyes became shuttered again. Her face grew blank. 

Ruby was confused. 

_What the fuck is going on?_

Christina released a defeated, bitter scoff, "Caleb. It's always about him. No matter what I do, they always want Caleb. He doesn't have to do _anything_ and everyone loves him. It’s so easy for him; he doesn’t have to put in any effort, and he just wins everyone over. Me, I wine and dine them and it's _still_ not enough."

Ruby was listening to her quiet rant but she wasn't sure what to make of it. Christina was saying a lot but none of it made any sense to her. She couldn't make sense out of **anything** Christina had just said. 

"Of course, it's always going to be about him. It's almost impossible for us to go on like this without him constantly looming over our heads like a rain cloud." Ruby interrupted. 

Christina stopped and stared at Ruby with an unreadable expression, but Ruby noticed the tightness around her mouth that told her the other woman was not pleased. 

"So, what is this? This _thing_ we're doing?" Christina asked.

"What do you mean?"

"If you want Caleb, then why are you here with me?"

Ruby's head reared back automatically at her words, "I don't want Caleb."

"But you just said-" Christina said with wide eyes.

"No, I'm talking about the fact that you and Caleb are together. He's your boyfriend, right? I'm not a homewrecker. I don't care how sexy you are; I will not be the other woman. Which, I know it’s too late because we’ve already had sex but I’m trying to do the right thing here."

Christina stared blankly at Ruby before she let out a loud, husky guffaw.

Even with the sound coming out of her mouth, Ruby still thought she looked beautiful. But that didn't stop her from wondering what was so funny. 

"What’s so funny?"

"I just -" Christina said unable to finish her thought due to her laughter, "This is hilarious. This whole time, you thought I was dating Caleb?"

"Aren't you?"

"Heavens, no!"

"But what about all the things he said the first time I came over?"

"He's a little shit. That's his shtick - he likes to fuck with people. You handled it swimmingly, I might add."

"Well, who is he to you?"

"My twin brother. But because he's such a slut, I have to keep our connection a secret so I can run the really clingy ones off because they assume he’s my boyfriend. Much like you did."

Ruby thought about it and it made so much sense. Those creepy yet intense eyes should have been a dead giveaway, and they both shared them. But Ruby was so caught up in her own shit that she refused to allow herself the opportunity to assume that Christina was single.

She didn't want to think about it because it gave her a reason to not think about Christina in that way.

She knew she was attracted to her, but she needed something more damning to convince herself to not act on those feelings. 

"You really didn't think I would be one of the ones to think the same thing?" Ruby asked.

"Honestly, no. Due to how we met, I didn't think you would have given it much thought. I didn't even think you would be willing to give me a chance so it never occurred to me that you paid enough attention to the two of us to draw that conclusion."

“I didn’t _want_ to be attracted to you.”

“Wow, thanks.” Christina said in a deadpan voice.

“No, it’s not like that. You don't understand. I could lose my job for getting involved with you. It’s against university policy for me to become involved with one of my students.”

“I can keep a secret. I like you, and I **know** you like me a little bit or you wouldn’t have allowed me to touch you like that. I’ve never connected with anyone else like this before, and I want to see if this can become something real. I want to try with you.” Christina declared. 

Ruby thought about what Christina said, and something was still screaming at her that this was a bad idea.

Yet, she knew exactly what Christina meant. She felt the same way. She really did, but she knew that that revelation could be a dangerous thing for both of them.

She decided to go for it. It couldn’t hurt; she just hoped she didn’t just sign the death warrant of her professional career.

“We can try, but we have to be discreet.” Ruby said as she watched a large, child-like smile stretch across Christina’s face. “I can’t lose my job; I won’t. It's far too important to me.”

She had never seen Christina’s face like that before, and she found that she liked it.

“Then you won't. I won't let it happen. Besides, I know how to be discreet. When I want to take you out, I know some places where we can go and just enjoy ourselves without being caught.” Christina said as she reached down and grabbed Ruby’s hand. 

She brought her hand to her lips and kissed her fingers as she maintained eye contact with Ruby. Ruby felt the flutter in her belly in response, and she shook her head at the fact that she was already feeling like a 17 year old girl again.

_She’s going to be the death of me, but what a way to go!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? What did you think of my smut?
> 
> Anyway, this is going to have to hold you guys over until I finish Part 3. I just started writing it tonight, so we'll see how long it's going to take until I can get it up for you guys. Also, I'm pretty sure this will be the longest part of this 3 peat. Part 3 will be long, but maybe not _this_ long. It will definitely be longer than the first part though. Then again, the story can get away from me again and Part 3 can end up way longer than this part. So, who knows? It's based on what my muse does and I listen to her, so she's the sheriff around these parts.


	3. maybe I should go to hell, but I'm doin' well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guess what? I may have told a teeny tiny white lie. Granted, I didn't KNOW I was lying to you guys. You see, I'm not the type of author who does outlines. My attention span is too short and my patience is far too thin to sit down and draft up an entire outline. But anyway, all this is good news for you guys because *drum rolls* this is NOT the last chapter. Nope, you have one more chapter. While writing this part, I realize there were some other things I want to explore in this story and I felt like there needed to be an extra part for me to be happy with how it ends.
> 
> Except that means one thing - more drama is coming your way. The last part will probably be the most dramatic part yet and it will be fairly long because I have to tie up all those loose ends, you know? Also, I edited all of the previous chapters so you should probably go check those out. I added more context and fleshed out some of the dialogue from the earlier chapters. 
> 
> Oh, I FINALLY casted Shaun Maxwell. Meet [Shaun](https://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Tika+Sumpter+ABC+Television+Winter+Press+Tour+o--t7SsX3Kdl.jpg). Yes, that is the lovely Tika Sumpter. She's the only one I can picture being this bitchy. Well, it was between her and another lovely young woman we all know and love but Tika ultimately won out in the end. 
> 
> And this is another monster of a chapter. Also, this includes **my headcanon** of what I think Ruby thought of her predilection for women. Some people may disagree and that's fine, but this is my headcanon of how I think Ruby approached her bisexuality. Again, **MY** opinion. Also, headcanons are different for everyone so we may not always agree on the same ones anyway. 
> 
> **trigger warnings:** mentions of the death of a parent, cancer diagnosis, struggles with sexuality, vague implication of being closeted, culture appropriation, etc.

**April 2020**

“But Elvis is King!” One of her white students, Douglas, replied.

“Is he?” Another student, Nicole, quipped.

“Of course he is! That is a universal, widely accepted fact. He came in and introduced secular music to the masses. Dr. Baptiste said that we needed to give credit where credit is due.”

"But she also said your favorite white musician is probably guilty of stealing entire songs from Black musicians.” Another student, Ahmad, said smugly.

“And guess what? Elvis definitely fits that bill.” Nicole declared.

“That’s a myth; it’s not true.” Douglas said physically waving her off.

“Is that right? I’m guessing ‘Hound Dog’ is your favorite song too, right? Big Mama Thornton would like to have a word with you. You can’t handle the fact that your precious Elvis is a culture vulture who had to study southern Black American culture to gain that soul because his lily white ass had none!” Ahmad replied causing everyone to guffaw. 

Ruby even laughed at his words. If it’s true, then it’s true.

“Really, Dr. Baptiste?” Douglas whined looking to her to back him up. “Even Elvis gives credit to the African American community for discovering rock and roll, so I don’t think we can necessarily burn him at the stake for becoming the face of it.”

All of her students looked at her expectantly as she carefully crafted her words.

“While Elvis was very vocal about being influenced by southern Black American culture, he still profited from it. I’ll give you an example - let’s say you worked hard day and night writing an extremely insightful essay and you coin this term that no one’s coined before. You think it’s the best work you’ve ever done. Now, someone else comes in and turns in your essay. They don’t change a thing about it, nothing at all. But now this other person is winning awards for your words; they’re getting all the glory and recognition for your creation. Sure, this person eventually gives you credit for coining this phenomenon. But they don’t feel that generous as they continue to allow the world to think they’re responsible for the creation of this term.” Ruby explained.

“So, this person continues to take credit for your work. This person has this immense amount of privilege and they’re not using it to amplify your voice; in which case, it doesn’t matter if they credited you once because they’re not continuously using their privilege to uplift and amplify the voices of those who deserve it. Furthermore-” Ruby began before getting interrupted by a strong knock on her door.

Before she could give the visitor permission to enter, the door opened and a large bouquet of daisies entered the frame followed by her colleague, Dr. Gonzalez, carrying them.

Her students began murmuring curiously amongst themselves as Dr. Gonzalez strutted towards Ruby’s perch at the front of the classroom.

“Monica, what is this?”

“It looks like someone has a secret admirer.” Monica said in a sing-song manner.

“Did they leave a card?”Ruby asked taking a subtle sniff of the flowers before accepting them.

“Yes.” Monica said motioning to the card in the bouquet.

“Did you read it?”

“No.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes playfully causing Monica to throw her hands up in defense.

“I swear I didn’t.”

Ruby decided to believe her. She hadn’t given her reason to doubt her words.

“Thank you, Dr. Gonzalez.” She said pointedly.

“Oh, come on! I didn’t read the card, but I can’t even be here to see what it says?”

“Goodbye, Monica.”

“You’re no fun.” Monica said with a pout before shuffling towards the door to exit the classroom. 

As Ruby watched the other woman leave, she finally looked down at the bouquet in her hands before pulling the card out and putting the flowers on the desk in front of her.

Opening the card, she began to read it.

_“You’ve taken over my dreams and you’ve somehow left your mark on me. But I would wear your mark proudly because I’ve always known that you were the only one for me. Maybe one day we can come together in the light of day and celebrate our love. Until then, I’m fine with us keeping our connection just between us. It can be our little secret.”_

\- _Sincerely Yours,_

**You Know Who**

Smiling to herself, she was constantly surprised by the things Christina did for her. She wasn’t used to any of it, but she was definitely getting used to it.

“What does it say?” A voice in the front of the class asked. 

Ruby almost forgot that she was still in class.

“It says you guys want a pop quiz, so I’m going to give you what you want.” She replied with a smug smile. 

Putting the card back on the flowers, she reached into her bag to grab the stack of quizzes she had on standby. Now was the perfect time to administer them.

“If your special someone has you torturing us with pop quizzes after you get flowers from them, then they need to do better.” Nicole playfully stated.

Ruby chuckled while shaking her head. Walking to the far right end of the class, she gave the student sitting there the stack, “Take one and pass it back.”

Ruby was on cloud 9. She had been for the past two months. 

Dating Christina was _different._

She was always being wined and dined and she always got what she wanted. Even when she didn’t ask for it.

Christina spoiled her.

It wasn't like this with Shaun. With Shaun, it was always fun but it was never **this** intense.

Ruby discovered so many new things about herself like the fact that she got off on Christina referring to herself as ‘Daddy.’ Or how she realized she had a thing for restoring old cars from the 50s. Or … rather how she realized she liked watching Christina do so.

Ruby was in love with Christina's hands, much like Christina was in love with her boobs.

Christina’s fingers could make **anyone** see stars and they often left behind a fiery trail when they touched your naked flesh.

“You guys have 20 minutes to complete the quiz. When you’re done, you’re free to leave afterwards. I encourage you to take your time though.” She said, “The timer starts now.”

While watching her class get busy at work to complete the quiz, she couldn’t help but to think back to the prior week when she stayed the night at Christina's lavish mansion. Caleb was out of state for the week on business so they had the whole house to themselves. 

Granted, Ruby was confused by their family dynamic but Christina assured her that she and her brother were actually really close. In fact, he was the first one she came out to. He was even there for her when she came out to her father to little fanfare as he was otherwise unmoved by the revelation anyway.

So when Ruby came by and introduced herself the way that she did, he just assumed she was like Christina. Caleb couldn’t deny his attraction to Ruby and he wondered if he had a chance with her.

Christina promptly shut it down, but Ruby thought it was cute how possessive she could get.

Ruby was bisexual but leaned more towards women, and Christina was a lesbian through and through. Which they both discovered their first night together after Ruby stopped running from what she wanted.

But on this night, they were both naked as Christina had just finished bathing Ruby and she couldn't resist the songbird so they ended up having sex shortly after. 

“Would you play her for me?” Christina asked, feeding Ruby a chocolate covered strawberry swiping the excess juice from her lips with her thumb before sticking said thumb in her mouth. 

“Hmm, delicious.”

“The strawberry or me?”

“Both, but I prefer you. You’re my favorite flavor.” Christina purred, “Now, answer my question.”

“You want me to play Bessie?”

“Yes.”

“You have her with you?” Ruby asked. 

“I always keep her with me.” 

Ruby bit her bottom lip as she contemplated Christina’s request before nodding, “Okay, go get her.”

Christina squealed in excitement before skipping towards her closet. While Christina was gone, Ruby slid towards the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. Christina was gone for about a minute before she came traipsing back with the pristine lavender Gibson ES-355 semi-hollow body electric in her big hands.

Ruby accepted the guitar from her perch before looking it over.

_It’s been a long time, girl._

It was a bittersweet moment but Ruby was happy to know Bessie had gone to a good home, because she looked more well cared for than she did while in Ruby’s possession. It looked like Christina had gotten her restored.

Strumming a few notes to get reacquainted with her old friend, Ruby looked up at Christina who had just finished turning on the amplifier and plugging it into her guitar.

“Any requests?”

“No, just do what your heart tells you.” Christina said with a twinkle in her eye and a large smile on her face. 

She sat down across from Ruby on a chaise lounge seat patiently waiting. 

Ruby smiled as she thought of the perfect song. She began playing the opening notes of her favorite song and she opened her mouth and began to sing along.

_“Something told me it was over, when I saw you and her talking..”_

Closing her eyes and getting deeply involved in the song, Ruby let her soul take over as the words freely fell from her lips as her fingers strummed the guitar at the same time.

She felt like she was the only one in the room. It was like a drug being injected into her veins; the feeling of calm and peace washing over her as she spent time with her first love again.

Ruby’s first love had always been music - playing the guitar, singing, and dancing. When she realized that she could sing and that she had this larger than life voice that could command the attention of everyone, it grew to be the most important thing in her life.

Growing up the way she did, forgotten and often ignored, singing and performing was her way of reminding people that she existed. Of reminding people that she mattered too, and that she had something to say and that what she wanted to say was just as important.

Music reminded people that she was a human being, an individual with thoughts, dreams, aspirations, and flaws.

She wasn’t Eloise’s daughter or Leti’s big sister.

 **She was Ruby.**

Becoming B. Dandridge helped her explore herself in a way that she had never done so before in fear of rejection.

_“So you see, I love you so much, that I don’t want to watch you leave me, baby..”_

Ruby’s eyes were closed the entire time and she had forgotten her surroundings for a split second. She had forgotten that she was still naked playing Bessie in front of someone she never imagined would be sitting across from her.

In fear of herself and what it meant, Ruby didn’t allow herself to think about Christina too much at first. At least of all in that way.

When you’re used to being a certain way and you’re used to people expecting certain things of you, it was difficult to break free from those chains.

And Ruby, of all people, knew what it was like to live and die by the thoughts and opinions of others. She knew what it was like to have all these weirdly rigid expectations placed on you to be perfect, to be responsible, to be _normal_. 

Whatever ‘normal’ meant, that is.

B. Dandridge helped to push her away from that belief, to push her away from chasing down an arbitrary ideal version of normalcy. As time went on, she stopped putting so much emphasis on living her life the way others wanted. The way her mother wanted.

She learned to simply be herself, whoever she may be and however messy she could be.

_“I would rather, I would rather be blind, than to see you walk away from me, see you walk away from me..”_

As the music faded out and so did her voice as she finished the song, she finally opened her eyes.

What she saw shocked her.

Staring at the woman seated across from her, she saw the redness in Christina’s cheeks and the tear tracks running parallel down her face.

“How was that?” Ruby asked with a knowing smile as she leaned over and gently placed Bessie down on the lounge seat next to Christina.

Laughing incredulously, Christina shook her head in response.

Ruby could tell that she was affected by it, and it made her heart swell to know that she still had it. That she could still move people to tears with just her voice and her guitar.

“I always pictured what it would be like. I always imagined you singing and playing Bessie for me. The real thing has far exceeded my expectations.” Christina said standing to her feet and walking towards Ruby before grabbing her cheeks in both of her hands and placing a sloppy kiss on Ruby’s lips.

Ruby smiled against her lips as she kissed her back. She had never garnered that reaction before, but she would take it.

\----------------------------------------------------------

After making love with Christina again, they were both content to lay together naked in Christina’s silk sheets with their limbs entangled together. 

They were simply enjoying each other’s presence and getting to know each other even more.

“I’m on track for tenure next year, and it’s so surreal.” Ruby said in amazement, “All I had was a vague, unrealized idea in my head to become a professor; I just knew I needed to do something more with my gift. I never thought I’d be here. That I’d make it this far and become this successful in doing so.”

“How does it feel?” Christina asked caressing Ruby’s cheek with one hand raptly hanging onto her every word. 

That was one thing that Ruby could count on when it came to Christina; she always listened to her. She always made her feel like what she said and thought mattered. Maybe to Christina, it did and it never failed to make Ruby fall even more for her.

“Euphoric, amazing, life-changing. I finally found my calling and it feels so good to finally be settled into myself, you know? When you don’t know what you want or where you’re going, your soul feels unsettled. Your soul feels like it’s wandering with no sense of direction. I don’t feel that way anymore.” Ruby said gently, “What about you?”

“My family has more money than God, but money’s not enough to protect you from the ills of life. My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when I was about 16. My father threw all of his money at doctors and specialists to save her and it still wasn’t enough. She still died.”

“It’s why I’m older than the rest of my classmates,” Christina continued, “My mother died when I was 18 right after graduation. I was on track to go to Harvard with Caleb, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit in a classroom with her death still so fresh in my mind and pretend that everything was okay and normal. Caleb went off to college because he knew how to cope with her death better than me, and I … I took a gap year. Or rather I took four gap years.”

“Is that why you’re majoring in chemistry?”

“Yes, it’s not about the money or the glory for me. It’s about developing a stable drug that’s affordable and effective enough to kill the cancerous cells before they metastasize to other organs or increase in number.” 

“That’s really ambitious and noble of you.” Ruby said awed at Christina’s plan.

“If I can save just one person, then it wouldn’t make me feel so guilty for not being able to save _her_.” Christina said, “I will do what my father couldn’t do and that’s to save my mother. Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

Ruby nodded listening to her speak and thinking about what she was saying.

“You know, you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened to your mom. It wasn’t your fault, and I know it’s easier said than done.” Ruby said, “You can tell yourself it’s not your fault but you’re still going to beat yourself up over it, despite what your logic is telling you. Believe me, I know.”

“What about your dad? How did it happen?”

“My dad was a hustler, if you remember what I told you on our first date. He was a hustler who wanted to make money by any means. He didn’t have any formal education or job experience to give him any employable skills, so he engaged in illegitimate means to make ends meet. He hustled the wrong person and they came back to collect.” Ruby said forcing herself not to think about that night.

“How long ago?”

“Oh, it’s been years. I was a teenager, maybe around the same age you were when your mom was diagnosed.” Ruby said. 

“We both lost a parent, and we’re much stronger for it. It’s why we understand each other so well; we know what it’s like to lose someone important to us. I think we’ll be alright as long as we have each other.” Christina replied.

“You’re right. We’ll be fine as long as we stick together.” Ruby said grabbing Christina’s fingers and kissing them.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Ruby found herself coming back to the present as the timer went off.

“Okay, time’s up! Anyone who hasn’t finished, please make sure you put your name on your quizzes and hand them to me on your way out.” Ruby said.

There were less than 10 students still in class so she didn’t think it would take long to get the rest of the quizzes.

After receiving the last of the quizzes, Ruby grabbed her bag and put the quizzes inside before zipping it up. Grabbing the bouquet of flowers, she was off to her office.

_10 minutes later…._

Sitting at her desk, she heard a knock on her door. She looked up and met the eyes of her lover. Christina smiled at ruby, which she returned, before stepping in and closing the door behind her. Ruby pushed away from her desk and stood up from her chair before shuffling towards Christina and wrapping her arms around Christina’s thin frame.

Leaning up, Ruby pressed her lips against Christina’s warm ones.

She tasted of strawberries, which Ruby attributed to her lip gloss.

Ruby’s own dark lip stain was bound to be impressed upon her girlfriend’s lip. Kissing her and licking into her mouth, Ruby forced herself to pull away, to slow down.

“It looks like _someone_ missed me.”

“I always miss you.” Ruby confessed.

Christina shook her head at Ruby as it seemed as if she couldn’t believe that she was real.

Ruby reluctantly detached from Christina's grasp before turning and walking towards the flowers she received earlier.

Turning to look back at her, “Thanks for the flowers. I love them.”

Christina stared down at the flowers as if they were poison ivy. Ruby couldn’t figure out what Christina was thinking. She thought she’d be smug and self-satisfied.

“You got flowers today?” Christina asked stepping closer to the bouquet gingerly, touching a petal before abruptly pulling away from it as if it burned her.

“Yes, from you.” Ruby smiled.

“I didn’t send any flowers.” Christian replied with her lips pursed.

“Wait, what?” Ruby asked confused, ”It _had_ to be you. The card said-”

Christina stared at her with her lips in a straight line causing Ruby to slowly connect the dots.

“But if you didn’t send them, then who did?”

“I don’t know but it wasn’t me.” Christina replied bitterly.

Before Ruby could say another word, there was another hurried, impatient knock at the door.

“Come in!” Ruby exclaimed exasperatedly.

Sighing to herself, she knew now was not the time to sort this entire thing out with Christina. They would need to shelf this conversation for another time.

The door opened and a smiling face entered the doorjamb and greeted her causing her to smile in response. 

“Hey, Ruby.”

“Leti, what are you doing here?” She asked moving closer towards her sister subconsciously.

“I just wanted to check up on my big sister. You haven’t been to family dinner night in awhile and I wanted to catch up. You didn’t tell me there were so many fine men on campus. I got distracted but then I remembered why I came here.” Leti said walking towards Ruby’s bookcase before turning towards the middle of the room as her eyes landed on the white elephant in the room causing her words to trail off at the end of her sentence.

“Hello.” Leti abruptly stated.

Leti had come to a complete stop as she openly studied the stranger.

Both Leti and Christina had begun sizing each other up curiously. Leti stared Christina up and down as Christina raised a brow expectantly at the cursory glance.

That was when Ruby decided to make the introductions.

“Leti, this is Christina. Christina, Leti.” Ruby said.

“Leti?” Christina asked.

“It’s short for Letitia.” She said before motioning between them with a finger, “How do you two know each other?”

“Leti!” Ruby scolded.

“It’s fine, Ruby. I’m one of Dr. Baptiste’s students.” 

“Uh huh.” Leti said suspiciously watching the pair with squinted eyes.

“Nice lipstick.” She said pointing to Christina’s dark red lips stained from Ruby’s lipstick.

Ruby’s eyes widened as Christina smoothly took it all in stride as she gave a nonchalant shrug wiping at her mouth.

“I guess it’s time for me to go. It was nice meeting you, Letitia.”

“Likewise.”

“We’ll talk about that assignment at a later date, Dr. Baptiste.” Christina explained already edging towards the door.

“I would hope so because it’s a very important assignment and we can’t put it off too long. You can’t put it off for long.”

Christina waved to both women before hastily walking towards the door and making her exit.

As the door shut behind Christina, Leti turned to her sister with a knowing smirk. While crossing her arms under her breasts, Ruby knew that look and internally groaned thinking about the impending interrogation.

“What?”

Leti raised her brows in response.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Leti quipped.

“You know what.”

“Like I think you’re full of shit, because I do. You’re fucking that white girl.” Leti exclaimed with a smile on her face.

“Keep your voice down.” Ruby hissed looking towards the closed door of her office before meeting her sister’s gaze again.

“But you are! You’re fucking a student and she’s a skinny white girl.” Leti said scandalized.

“Leti.”

“No, my always responsible sister who never gets in trouble and who doesn’t even go over the speed limit has a wild side and that wild side likes tall, skinny model types.” Leti replied in an impressed voice. “I’m never going to let you live this down. You know that, right? This sounds like something I would do but it’s you instead.”

“You can’t tell anybody, okay?”

“Of course not! Who do you think I am? I always have your back.” Leti replied slightly affronted at the idea that she of all people would rat out her only sister.

“But why is it a secret?”

“This university has a strict policy against professor/student relationships; they expressly forbid it.” Ruby revealed.

“For real? Yikes!” Leti said walking over to one of Ruby’s chairs and sliding into it backwards with her legs dangling over the side of the arm. 

“Yeah, they consider it to be unethical.”

Leti said nothing before opening and closing her mouth a few times as if she wanted to say something but she kept talking herself out of it.

“Just say it.” Ruby said sitting in the seat next to Leti’s.

“I’m being serious when I ask this and I don’t want you to get mad, okay?”

“Shoot.”

“Do you think that maybe she’s using you?”

Ruby didn’t respond angrily; it wasn’t an outlandish question. It was valid.

“I thought about it, but then I realized she wasn’t.”

“What changed your mind? Or rather - what was it that made you know for **sure** that she wasn’t using you?”

“Reading her papers. Anyone with that much passion and wit writing a paper for a class that she didn’t even want to be in is much too smart to be fucking the professor for a good grade. She’s brilliant, Leti. You should see how smart she is.”

Leti nodded as she listened to her sister.

“Is she worth it?” Leti asked, “Is she worth possibly destroying your entire career? You worked your _ass_ off to get here. Are you willing to watch it all go up in smoke?”

“No, I’m **not** willing to watch it all go down in flames.” Ruby answered, “But she _is_ worth it. It hasn’t been that long but I know she is.”

“Does she feel the same way about you?”

“I don’t know; we’ve never talked about it, but I think so. I would like to think so.”

After a few minutes of dead silence, Leti spoke again.

“Okay, then that’s good enough for me. Just as long as she doesn’t hurt you, then she’s good with me.”

“Wait a minute.”

“Hmm?”

“You said you got distracted by all the hot guys earlier. What’s going on with you and Tic?”

“He doesn’t know if he wants to go back to Florida to be with his mom or stay here with his dad, so we’re not together at the moment.”

“But you really liked him.”

“I liked the _idea_ of him; but if it’s meant to be, then it will be.”

“Did he treat you right?”

“Yeah, he did.” Leti replied wistfully, “But you know me - if he’s going to tame the beast, then he needs to come correct. He needs to know what he wants **before** stepping to me. I have hopes and dreams, and I’m not going to put them on hold for someone who’s confused.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“It’s just - I wasn’t expecting to hear you say that. I was expecting to have to lecture you into coming to the perspective you have right now but it appears there’s no need for it.”

“I told you that you didn’t have to worry about me.” She smugly replied.

“That you did.”

“So anyway, we knew each other when we were kids and then he moved away to Florida with his mom. He came back six months ago, and he’s a complete stranger to me. Who knows if our adult selves are even compatible, you know?” Leti said.

“Right.”

Leti sighed, “Why is love so complicated?”

“Because it’s supposed to be. It’s like anything else in life that you really want: it’s supposed to be the hardest thing you’ve ever done to fully appreciate it.”

“Which is bullshit.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, sister. I agree, but isn’t that what everyone always says?” Ruby asked laughing.

“Hey, do you wanna go get some lunch?” Ruby asked.

“I thought you’d never asked,” Leti said, “Ooooh, let’s go to that little diner down the street. I want French toast and bacon.”

“Let’s go, your highness.” Ruby replied standing to her feet and pulling her sister up with both hands from her seat.

****

*******

**Saturday Night**

The smooth instrumental playing lowly over the speakers of the restaurant set the mood for the ambiance of the night. It was an expensive restaurant - one that Ruby had never even heard of and the menu had pretentious foods with no prices listed.

Christina assured Ruby that she could order anything she wanted as it was her treat. Ruby was uneasy initially about taking advantage of all the money Christina was spending on her, but it didn’t take long for her to get over it.

She didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. If this thing between them ended, at least she could think back on all these memories fondly. After discussing the flowers from what Ruby could assume was from a secret admirer, they decided not to stress out about it. Ruby thought it was harmless enough. They would find out soon enough who was responsible for the flowers. Just as well, Christina warned her to be careful anyway.

Sipping her white wine, she knowingly smiled at Christina from behind her glass.

Placing the glass down on the table slightly sloshing some of the liquid out onto the table causing them both to laugh, Ruby speaks. 

“So, show me again how I’m supposed to hold it.”

Christina’s long fingers wrapped around the stem of the wine glass and she quirked a brow at Ruby to ensure that she was listening. 

“This is the proper way to hold a wine glass. The heat from your fingers and hand can warm the bowl resulting in warm wine. Only the **really** rich and fancy people drink exceptionally chilled wine, I’ll have you know.” Christina whispered conspiratorially, causing Ruby to laugh uncontrollably. 

Ruby loved how Christina didn’t take herself too seriously. She often poked fun at other rich people while also making fun of herself in the process. Ruby had never met anyone like her, and it was refreshing to see this side of her. She never would have thought how goofy and fun Christina was when she first saw her sitting in class at the beginning of the semester.

They were both tipsy and were competing to see who could make the other one cry with laughter first. It wouldn’t take much as both had had more than a few glasses of wine.

“I’ve never been here before.”

“I’ve been here enough for the both of us.” Christina said daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“And you haven’t grown tired of it?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, but I’ve never been here with you before so that’s the major difference this time around. Besides, you’re much better company than Caleb and my father.” Christina replied with a wink.

Ruby blushed.

“The hors d'oeuvres are amazing.” Ruby said.

“They always are, just wait until you try the lobster. It’s to die for.” Christina said.

As they continued sipping their wine and nibbling on the hors d'oeuvres, they hit a comfortable lull in conversation.

“I’m going to go to the ladies’ restroom.” Ruby declared.

Christina nodded.

As Ruby stood to her feet, she pushed her chair out and stood up to turn on her heel and ran right into a hard object.

As tipsy as she was, she was still able to catch herself to prevent from falling dead on her face. Ruby became preoccupied in ensuring that nothing had spilled on her dress. She couldn’t afford to get it replaced just yet.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” A familiar voice exclaimed.

Ruby slowly decided to look up from her clothing coming face to face with the Devil herself.

“Ruby, is that you?” She asked moving her hair out of her eyes.

“Shaun.” Ruby replied, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m having dinner with my father.” She said, “And you?”

“I’m having dinner too.”

Shaun nodded before peeking around Ruby’s body to catch a glimpse of her date. Her eyes widened and her brows shot up as she laid eyes on the pale white woman sitting at the table.

“Oh.” Shaun said with a sour expression.

“Yeah, so if you’ll excuse us-” Ruby began attempting to shoo her away.

“Don’t be rude, Ruby. Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Shaun interrupted mischievously. 

Ruby sighed because she knew she wasn’t getting out of this one.

“Christina, this is Shaun. We’re colleagues. Shaun, this is Christina.” 

“We’re a little more than colleagues, don’t you think?” Shaun asked gently elbowing Ruby in the side. “It’s nice to meet you. Christina, is it?”

Christina nodded with a strained smile. Ruby could see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out their connection.

“Are you two together?” Shaun asked.

Before Ruby could answer, Christina beat her to the punch.

“Yes, we’re together.”

“And how long has this been a thing?”

“It’s been a minute.” Ruby replied.

“You know, you look _really_ familiar. Have we met?” Shaun suddenly asked.

“No, I guess I just have one of those faces.” Christina shrugged.

“Hmm, I could have sworn I've seen you somewhere before. Maybe not.” Shaun said narrowing her eyes at Christina as if trying to figure out a puzzle. “But Ruby’s never mentioned you before.”

“That’s funny because she’s never mentioned you either,” Christina quipped in return, “In fact, I’ve never even heard your name before now. I guess it wasn't important.”

“Why do you care? It’s none of your business.” Ruby interjected with hard, angry eyes.

She was sobering up. Leave it to Shaun Maxwell to ruin her buzz.

“I’ve always cared, even though you think of me to be a monster.” Shaun replied, “I was just curious about the new developments in your life, and it was a harmless question.”

“Now that you’ve asked it, we would like to return to our dinner so goodbye.” Ruby said.

“Okay, okay.” Shaun said throwing her hands up in surrender, “I can take a hint, despite what you may think. It was nice running into you, Ruby. It was nice meeting you, Christina.”

Christina wordlessly tipped her wine glass in salute to her in response.

Ruby watched as Shaun hastily padded away seemingly towards her table. Once Shaun was out of her line of vision, Ruby sat back down in her chair.

“I thought you needed to use the restroom.” 

“Maybe later.” Ruby said distractedly.

“Ex-girlfriend?” Christina asked.

“Something like that.”

“Did you guys end on bad terms?” 

“She was married.” Ruby said in a deadpan manner, “To a guy and she kept it a secret from me. So yeah, I’d say we ended on pretty shitty terms actually.”

“I’m sorry.” Christina replied. “I’m sure that must have been difficult to find out. Someone you love hiding something that big from you.”

Ruby nodded before grabbing her wine glass by its bowl and taking a huge gulp of her wine.

Etiquette skills be damned. 

Swallowing the liquid, she wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“Tell me about your day. I want you to distract me.” Ruby said.

A mischievous smile landed on Christina’s face before she replied, “There are far better ways to distract you - ways I think we **both** will enjoy.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m grateful for it but I need you to distract my brain with something else.” Ruby said, “Please.”

“Okay,” Christina said sitting up straight in her chair. “I needed to get my Daimler detailed and you know how I feel about other people touching my pride and joy. Caleb made fun of me at the dealership the entire time, because he could see how much I was seething. Eventually, the workers detailed my car in no time because they got sick of me going out and forcing them to tell me every little thing they were doing to my baby.”

Christina kept talking. And even though Ruby was listening, she couldn’t take her mind off of what just happened. Shaun had some audacity demanding answers like Ruby was still her girlfriend. 

_How dare she?_

The last thing she needed on top of everything else was her cheating ex-girlfriend to ruin her relationship. She needed to finally come to terms with what happened and she needed to close this chapter of her life. **For good**.

She just needed to figure out how.


End file.
